# Why is swallowing gum bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430 "2008-11-25T15:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_In_A_Top_Hat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/1 "2008-11-25T15:12:16Z")
I’ve heard the old stories about how swallowing chewing gum is bad for you, usually with some vague suggestion that they’ll sit in your gut for seven years. I figure that isn’t true, but I’m curious: will swallowing chewing gum hurt you, in any particular way? Is it _bad_ for you, or just not specifically healthy? ---
**Author:** ![Duhkecco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@Duhkecco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duhkecco)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/2 "2008-11-25T15:15:13Z")
From [MayoClinc.com](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestive-system/AN01006): > [@](#): > > Although chewing gum is designed to be chewed and not swallowed, it isn’t harmful if swallowed. An old wives’ tale suggests that swallowed gum sits in your stomach for seven years before it can be digested. But this isn’t true. If you swallow gum, it’s true that your body can’t digest it. But the gum doesn’t sit in your stomach. It progresses relatively intact through your digestive system and is excreted in your stool. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@Girl\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/3 "2008-11-25T15:45:00Z")
> [@Duhkecco](#): > > From [MayoClinc.com](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/digestive-system/AN01006): You just know there are going to be people all over the globe buying gum now and checking the toilet for the next few days. _off to buy some gum_ ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/4 "2008-11-25T16:01:12Z")
I’m 46 years old, I go through periods of consuming large amounts of gum (like now), and I’ve always swallowed it. _This too shall pass._ Seriously. You can’t digest a marble, but it’s not going to hang around in your intestines for the rest of your life. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/5 "2008-11-25T16:11:09Z")
> [@Girl\_Hermit](#): > > You just know there are going to be people all over the globe buying gum now and checking the toilet for the next few days. > > _off to buy some gum_ Buy some corn and some peanuts, while you’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/6 "2008-11-25T16:34:55Z")
Oops. Misread the thread title. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/7 "2008-11-25T19:33:27Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Oops. Misread the thread title. 😃 Yeah, THAT’S bad because of the extra calories. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/8 "2008-11-25T23:11:02Z")
Your butt blows bubble farts,that is why. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/9 "2008-11-26T01:29:07Z")
> [@Girl\_Hermit](#): > > You just know there are going to be people all over the globe buying gum now and checking the toilet for the next few days. > > _off to buy some gum_ It works. I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![siggma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@siggma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siggma)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/10 "2008-11-26T05:58:02Z")
Swallowing gum has the _potential_ to block the entrance to the appendix, depending on what kind of gum it is, how much you swallow and how often you swallow it. Since the appendix IMHO is there to maintain and reseed a healthy bacterial flora after an illness, it’s possible it could become infected if it becomes blocked. However, _potential_ is not really statistically relevant so, go ahead and swallow… Maybe chase it with a few rice paper bible pages while you’re at it, there’s plenty of them on the planet not being used. And don’t forget a glass of fresh urine for good heath now and forever! 🙂 -Tom ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/11 "2008-11-26T17:11:16Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Your butt blows bubble farts,that is why. And this is a\* bad\* thing? 😕 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/12 "2008-11-26T20:36:21Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Oops. Misread the thread title. 😃 HAHAHAHAHA it just hit me. I was just browsing the threads and noticed one above this one titled, “Methods on reducing the sex drive” or something. I chuckled to myself because it had so many more views than other threads with the same amount of replies probably just because it had the word “sex” in it. Then I saw this thread and TOTALLY misread it, too! It’s funny because I definitely read through this not too long ago and couldn’t understand what you misread the title for. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/13 "2008-11-27T04:31:40Z")
Swallowing bad is bad if you’re a kid, because kids eat gum and dirt and even apple seeds. So if you ate gum, it would hold the dirt and apple seeds together and apple trees would grow in your stomach :o) ---
**Author:** ![telebox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ea924/32.png) [@telebox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/telebox)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/14 "2008-11-27T05:05:09Z")
> [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](#): > > I’ve heard the old stories about how swallowing chewing gum is bad for you, usually with some vague suggestion that they’ll sit in your gut for seven years. I figure that isn’t true, but I’m curious: will swallowing chewing gum hurt you, in any particular way? Is it _bad_ for you, or just not specifically healthy? Here is one Snopes article on the subject : > **[Does Chewing Gum Take Seven Years to Digest?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-seven-year-glitch/)** > > Does chewing gum take seven years to pass through your digestive system? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_In_A_Top_Hat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-swallowing-gum-bad/474430/15 "2008-11-28T07:05:51Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > HAHAHAHAHA it just hit me. I was just browsing the threads and noticed one above this one titled, “Methods on reducing the sex drive” or something. I chuckled to myself because it had so many more views than other threads with the same amount of replies probably just because it had the word “sex” in it. > > Then I saw this thread and TOTALLY misread it, too! It’s funny because I definitely read through this not too long ago and couldn’t understand what you misread the title for. Alright, I get it, now. I admit, tho, it took a few moments \>: -) 😛